Letters to the editor: Cops, ink don’t mix

Published: August 14, 2013

Cops, ink don’t mix

Regarding “Acceptance grows for inked officers” (Metro, Aug. 12):

Any person who is in any way connected with law enforcement who is found to have any tattoos anywhere on their body should be removed from duty at once, and if they refuse to have it removed should be terminated as unfit for duty. There is absolutely nothing artistic about any inking. It shows mental instability or connection with a gang, and there should be zero tolerance with anyone in any way connected to law enforcement. Any person who permits this in law enforcement should be immediately terminated regardless of how long they have been in law enforcement.

Nelson Stephens

Tampa

English ballots only

Regarding “We are an Engilsh-speaking home” (Letter of the Day, Aug. 8):

I was so glad to see someone who feels the same way as I do about the horrible way that our voting ballots are in two languages. I am an American citizen who came to this country many years ago from South America — legally. When I decided to become an American citizen I was required to take written and oral tests, which included some American history and politics. I had to show that I was capable of understanding and writing English. So, why do we need dual languages in our voting ballots? This is ludicrous and should never be allowed. I have even seen some people bring an interpreter with them. How could they be allowed to vote if they can’t read or comprehend English? If people desire to come to America they should abide by the American way of life. I want our ballots and official papers to be in English only.

A. Foster

Tampa

Church wrong on BP

Regarding “Inland church gets oil spill money” (Metro, Aug. 11):

It appears the good Rev. Tony Boyd’s Christian ethics don’t become involved in ripping off BP. It is so much easier when you have very flexible ethics that include taking other people’s money. The fact that he has found sort of a legal way of doing it seems to be enough justification.

Boyd’s education apparently did not include the fact that there is no free money provided by nature in a pot at the end of a rainbow.

Boyd’s windfall is coming from BP’s thousands of stockholders, made up of all sorts of people, including pension funds and folks like me who worked well over 60 years trying to save enough to live out my life.

Perhaps he should take his flock to Tallahassee and join the other freeloaders sponging off my tax money.

This is a poignant and disturbing piece written by one of the victims of the atrocity. I think every right-thinking American would agree that labeling the Fort Hood shooting as “workplace violence” is outrageous, given the fact that the perpetrator, Maj. Nidal Hasan, admitted that he is a jihadi and he killed and wounded so many of our soldiers because he wanted to prevent them from being deployed to Afghanistan. The Army is not entirely to blame for this as much as our commander in chief, who has shown a consistent, systematic pattern of downplaying obvious acts of Muslim extremism by mischaracterizing them as one of isolated incidences by lone-wolf actors (Boston attacks, attempted shoe, underwear and Time Square bombings) and of course Benghazi. President Obama seems strangely, even bizarrely, conflicted on the topic of Islam. He has yet to utter the words Islamic extremism or Islamic terrorism on one hand yet on the other hand his hyper-aggressive use of the drone program has killed hundreds of jihadis whom, if we had captured, he would have insisted that they be read their Miranda rights and never subjected to water boarding. This whole issue would be darkly humorous if Team Obama’s political correctness had not led to loss of life at Fort Hood. Sounds harsh? Unfortunately the record bears this out as Maj. Hasan’s military file has logs of numerous incidences where he openly criticized U.S. treatment of Muslims. His co-workers and superiors were aware of his increasing radicalization, and they did nothing for fear of being criticized for not supporting the Army’s diversity program.

Gen. George Casey, in the days following the tragedy, lamented the killings and the possible harm the incident would do to the Army’s diversity programs.